An Introduction to The Grinning Man

On 26th June, the original Bristol Old Vic production of The Grinning Man is to be livestreamed for a week. Here’s a short introduction to the musical to get prepared for the livestream.

The Grinning Man is based off of the Victor Hugo novel The Man Who Laughs.

This is one of the lesser known works from the author of Les Misérables and Notre Dame de Paris. Plot points and characters were altered for the musical, so if you’ve read the book there are still moments where you will be surprised. The show’s plot follows Grinpayne, a man whose face was cut as a child, and his quest to discover who committed the deed alongside his found family. This is a story about love, family and has a political edge, discussing class and wealth in the spirit of socialism.

The name The Man Who Laughs may sound familiar if you know your Batman trivia.

The character Grinpayne (Gwynplaine in the novel) has made a mark on film and other literary works. The actor Conrad Veidt’s makeup in the 1928 film adaptation of The Man Who Laughs served as inspiration for the Joker’s smile. The 2005 graphic novel was even named Batman: The Man Who Laughs in reference to the film.

The music was written by Tim Phillips and Marc Teitler, with lyrics by Carl Grose, Tom Morris, Tim Phillips and Marc Teitler and a book by Carl Grose.

The score has been described as being similar to Stephen Sondheim’s work, Les Mis and Shockheaded Peter. The latter of these featured Julian Bleach in the original cast, who played Barkilphedro in The Grinning Man. During the musical’s run in London, various actors performed selections on the official YouTube channel. David Bedella, Jenna Russell, Julian Ovenden, Matt Lucas, Hannah Waddingham, Kelsey Grammer, Alexander Armstrong, Harry Enfield and Louise Dearman were all featured.

You may recognise members of the original 2016 Bristol cast for their work prior to and after the production:

- Louis Maskell, who portrayed Grinpayne in Bristol and London, returned to the roles of Bob and André in Flowers for Mrs Harris. The musical began life on stage at the Sheffield Crucible in 2016 and was later staged at Chichester Festival Theatre in 2018 with Maskell, after The Grinning Man ended its London run.

- Audrey Brisson, who played Dea in Bristol, was Olivier nominated this year for her performance as the titular character in Amélie. She played the role on the UK tour and in the original London production.

- The original and London Barkilphedro Julian Bleach won an Olivier as co-creator of Shockheaded Peter in 2002, which he also starred in. He also portrayed the character Davros in Doctor Who from 2008 to 2015.

- Sean Kingsley played Ursus in Bristol and London and King Clarence in Bristol when it was a dual role. He portrayed Annas in the acclaimed Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production of Jesus Christ Superstar prior to the London run of The Grinning Man.

- The original Bristol Dutchess Josiana Gloria Onitiri was one of the Fates in the National Theatre’s production of Hadestown during the run from 2018 until 2019.

- Stuart Neal, who played Lord David Dirry-Moir in Bristol, went on to play Billy Lawlor in 42nd Street in the West End from 2017 until 2018.

- Ewan Black, who portrayed the dual roles of Osric and Trelaw in Bristol and London, returned to the Bristol Old Vic in 2019 for The Grinning Man director’s adaptation of A Christmas Carol. He played Marley, Scrooge’s Father and Mr Fezziwig until the end of the run in 2020.

- Patrycja Kujawska, who played Queen Angelica in the original Bristol production, continued to perform in productions originated in Bristol. From 2018 to 2019, she performed in the UK tour of Wise Children, which can currently be viewed on YouTube. Also in 2019, she toured Dead Dog in a Suitcase (and other love songs), which she previously starred in in 2015.

- The original Bristol head of Mojo and Archbishop Kupsak Stuart Angell went on to be in the National Theatre’s productions of Angels in America in 2017 and Pinocchio from 2017 to 2018. The latter reunited him with Audrey Brisson and The Grinning Man puppetry designer Toby Olié.

- Gloria Obianyo, who portrayed Lady Trelaw and Quake in the original Bristol production, went onto play Marianne Laine in the Gielgud run of Girl from the North Country from 2019 to 2020. Prior to this, she reunited with Sean Kingsley in the Regent’s Park production of Jesus Christ Superstar.

- Alice Barclay played the body of Mojo and Frozen Woman in the original Bristol production. She recently played Ursula in Tobacco Factory Theatres’ 2019 production of Much Ado about Nothing.

The live London cast recording is still available on the Bristol Old Vic shop's website where you can also find a poster and a selection of masks to purchase. The livestream will be available from 7pm on Friday 26th June to Friday 3rd July at 6pm for free on YouTube.

You can also book to be a part of the zoom Q&A with Louis Maskell, Audrey Brisson, Gloria Onitiri, Sean Kingsley, Tom Morris, Tim Phillips, Marc Teitler and Carl Grose. This will take place after the premiere on Friday 26th at 9:35pm and will run for one hour. Here, you will be able to ask questions to learn more about The Grinning Man. More information is available here.